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Evan Zimmerman
In 2001, Yann Martel’s philosophical novel Life of Pi was released, after being rejected by at least five London publishing houses, going on to sell more than ten million copies worldwide since publication, winning the Man Booker Prize in 2002. A film version went into development shortly after publication, going through several directors before Ang Lee brought the story to life on screen in 2012, becoming a massive hit and being notable for its use of CGI to bring the Bengal tiger to life, earning three Golden Globe nominations, and eleven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning four including Best Director. Such a story would seem a near impossibility to bring to life on stage, but if a show can bring a team of horses to life through the magic of puppetry in War Horse, they can certainly bring a Bengal tiger and other animals to life for a stage version of Life of Pi. The play went on to win all five of the UK Theatre Awards it was nominated for in its first Sheffield production in 2019, including Best New Play, and earned nine Laurence Olivier Awards nominations for its 2021 London production, winning five including Best New Play. The show made its way across the pond and debuted in the US at A.R.T. in Cambridge, Massachusetts in December 2022, then transferred to Broadway, opening March 30, 2023 and earning five Tony Award nominations, winning three in technical categories. The show had a short run, closing on July 23, 2023, but the people behind the show felt that there was still more life to it and have taken the production on the road, launching the North American tour in Baltimore at the Hippodrome Theatre. The show’s second stop is the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theatre in Washington DC.
If you have not read the book or seen the movie, the story of Life of Pi first focuses on the Patel family, a strict Hindu family devoted to their religion and vegetarianism, with a love of animals so strong that the Patel patriarch buys a zoo. But there is revolution in India and it is not safe for the family or their animals to remain in their homeland — several of the animals have already been injured or killed by rioters — so the family books passage on a cargo ship to get them and their zoo safely to Canada. The Patels had recently added to their menagerie, a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker (due to a mix-up in the paperwork confusing the original owner’s name with the animal’s), and to show young Pi (actual name is Piscine, but he changed it due to his elementary classmates calling him ‘Pissing’) that wild animals are dangerous … he feeds Pi’s beloved goat to the tiger (in reaction to Pi’s foolishness of entering the tiger’s enclosure).
The family quickly learns that they are not on a luxury cruise ship as the crew treats them as nothing more than added cargo, but the journey takes a tragic turn when a storm sinks the ship with only Pi and a few animals — a hyena, an orangutan and a zebra, making it into the lifeboat with him. It’s not long before the tiger also swims his way to the boat, with Pi doing all he can to prevent the dangerous animal from boarding. But he’s got other problems as the zebra has a broken leg and the hyena is hungry. It’s not long before the hyena attacks and eats the zebra and the orangutan, and while Pi fears for his own life, Richard Parker shows up again and kills the hyena, leaving just Pi and Richard Parker the remaining lifeboat passengers. The two are adrift in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days before the lifeboat runs aground and Richard Parker wanders off. Pi’s story is told through flashbacks as he recounts from his hospital room the adventure to an investigator looking for the cause of the ship’s sinking and how Pi managed to survive for that long in the open sea, unwilling to accept Pi’s account of being in a lifeboat with all of those animals but somehow not being killed and eaten himself. Frustrated that he isn’t being taken seriously, Pi gives the investigator a second, more concise story that is actually much more horrific and then he asks which story is the better one because neither can be proven (the more palatable story is accepted but we are all left to ponder what actually happened).
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Evan Zimmerman
This production of Life of Pi is pure theatre, using all of the techniques possible to bring an impossible story to life. (Note that this is not a musical.) On the technical side of the production, the set (designed by Tim Hatley) at first appears to be fairly simple, three walls with a series of windows and doors that can be shuttered or opened. The main wall can also open up to extend the set into a market or a ship’s deck with windows on the two side walls also being opened to add to the desired effect. Tim Lutkin’s and Tim Deiling’s lighting design is also utilized expertly to transform the set, with warm orange lighting for the zoo and market scenes, stark white light for the hospital, dim lighting for the ship. For scenes of Pi at sea, two halves of the lifeboat appear from under the walls on both sides of the stage, meeting in the middle, settling on a built-in turntable on the stage that rotates the boat and the characters, the walls of the stage covered with projections of a blue sky with white clouds during the day, or a vast universe of stars for the nighttime scenes. It is all breathtaking and magical, completely transporting the characters and the audience. There are also other video animation effects by Andrzej Goulding used throughout the show, including one that makes the hospital room set appear to be underwater as Pi begins to tell more of his story at sea. Truly some remarkable work.
Also selling the illusion of wild animals coming to life is a team of puppeteers that handle everything from the aforementioned zoo creatures to butterflies, fish and a sea turtle, their skills so sharp that even though they are clearly on stage and operating the creatures (and the zebra is huge), your focus is on the animals. Because of the physicality of bringing Richard Parker to life, different performers will operate the puppet for different performances. At our performance, Richard Parker was performed by Austin Wong Harper, Jon Hoche and Betsy Rosen, with Ben Durocher — who also portrayed the ship’s cook at our performance — providing the tiger’s voice in one of Pi’s moments of delusion (which also injects a bit of humor into the dire situation as Pi questions Richard Parker’s French accent). The work of the puppeteers is astonishing, and again, you just forget they are even there as you focus on that tiger as he stalks around the boat, or lounges or eats whatever Pi can catch from the ocean. It truly is stunning.
The role of Pi is usually played by Taha Mandviwala but certain performances will feature Savid Geevaratne, who took on the role at our performance. It is a demanding role, emotionally and physically, and it makes sense to swap out the actors. The show begins with Pi in the hospital, so he takes on the role of a storyteller (when he finally comes out from under the bed), but the portrayal quickly turns into a wide-eyed, rambunctious teen, fearless in his approach to the animals at the zoo, curious not only about his Hindu faith, but Islam and Christianity as well (their houses of worship are all next door to each other so why not?). The role becomes physically and psychologically demanding as he has to portray his extended time on the sea, often being lifted into the air by the crew of puppeteers for certain moments, sometimes hanging from the side of lifeboat, and then having to shift the performance from those parts of the story and back to the hospital scenes without missing a beat. Geevaratne just gives a remarkable performance that draws you in, and his sincerity never makes you question Pi’s story while his sudden forthrightness when giving the alternate story makes his whole ordeal so chilling you want to believe the unbelievable story Pi insists on sticking with. That is some skill and Geevaratne deserves all the accolades.
Ben Durocher is excellent at making the Cook a totally unlikable character, while making his voice work as Richard Parker humorous. The Cook also figures in Pi’s alternate story and, again, Durocher makes Cook a vile person who deserves whatever his true fate was. Sorab Wadia is excellent as Pi’s father, constantly trying to instill in Pi a respect for the wild animals, also appearing to Pi in his delusions while adrift at sea. Sinclair Mitchell takes on the roles of Father Martin, a Russian sailor, and Admiral Jackson, whose survival guide Pi finds in the lifeboat, manifesting as another delusion to offer Pi advice on how to survive in the open sea (answering the question as to why there are so many umbrellas in the survival kit with the water and biscuits). Jessica Angleskhan also has multiple roles including the hospital nurse, Amma (Pi’s mother) and Orange Juice (the orangutan), handling each with such skill that you don’t even realize the characters are played by the same actor. Mi Kang is also wonderful as Lulu Chen, Mrs. Biology Kumar and Zaida Khan, three very distinct characters. Rishi Jaiswal is excellent as Mamaji (Pi’s best friend) and Pandit-Ji (the Hindu cleric). Through performances and excellent costumes by Tim Hatley, you might think there are more people in the cast than there actually are, each character given such distinct personalities by their actors. Bravo!
While not a musical, the story relies heavily on a musical score by Andrew T. Mackey particularly in the more dramatic moments that work with the lighting and sound design (by Carolyn Downing) to give the show a more cinematic feel. The tour’s director, Ashley Brooke Monroe, utilizes all the tricks of the trade to bring the show to life, expertly shifting from scene to scene so smoothly that it almost feels like a filmic dissolve (the original Broadway production was directed by Max Webster). The excellent cast helps draw you in to the story, and the skillful work of the puppeteers helps you believe these are real wild animals on stage. The story also packs an emotional punch when the lights go out at the end of Act II that may leave a few tears in your eyes while grappling with the question of which of Pi’s stories was the truth. Overall, Life of Pi is a true theatrical experience that should leave you totally enthralled.
Life of Pi runs about 2 hours 30 minutes with one intermission. Recommended for ages 10+. Contains some depictions of violence, smoke, haze, flashing lights, and loud sounds throughout. Note that there are several quite gruesome animal deaths depicted that may be disturbing for younger children.
Life of Pi runs through January 5 at Washington DC’s Kennedy Center. Other cities on the tour include Pittsburgh, Providence, Minneapolis, Portland Oregon, Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Charlotte and more. Visit the official website for more information. Use our Ticketmaster link to purchase tickets.
Life of Pi – National Tour
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.